Minnesotans stuck in Puerto Vallarta describe scene in city rocked by cartel violence

David Stack was all set to come home to Minneapolis. With bags packed, he made his way to the front desk of his hotel in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Sunday morning only to learn he wasn’t going anywhere.

Stack is among the Minnesotans stuck in the popular tourist destination on Mexico’s west coast as flights in and out of the city have been canceled for a second straight day amid chaos and unrest that broke out following the killing of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in a military operation.

A shelter-in-place directive was issued for the region on Feb. 22 by the U.S. State Department and expanded Monday.

“We are advised not to leave the hotel,” said Stack, who now has had to extend his stay at the Santa Clara Hotel in the city’s “Romantic Zone” at least until Thursday. “Hopefully the violence is over.”

On Monday, the streets were quiet, he said. There were no buses, taxis or many people out. Restaurants were still closed. A drugstore on the bottom floor of his hotel was firebombed and totally wiped out.

Delta Air Lines canceled two flights from the Twin Cities to Puerto Vallarta on Monday. On Sunday, two flights that took off for the Mexican city returned to the Twin Cities.

Sun Country Airlines also diverted two flights on Sunday, which eventually returned to the Twin Cities, according to data on the flight tracking website FlightAware.

“Our priority is the safety of our customers, and we are working to get passengers to and from their destination when safe,” a Sun Country spokesperson said in an email. “If customers do have travel booked to Puerto Vallarta, change fees are currently being waived for this situation.”

The airline said it was working with local authorities to determine when it would be safe to resume operations.

Delta, the dominant carrier at MSP airport, issued a travel advisory saying travelers with trips in, out or through Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara may be affected through Feb. 26 due to civil unrest.

“The safety of our customers and crew always comes first and we are closely monitoring the situation in the region,” a Delta spokesperson said. “We have taken steps to adjust our operation accordingly and coordinate with local airport officials while working to communicate with impacted customers.”

Travelers on Monday and Tuesday were advised to closely monitor their flight status, Delta said. The airline also issued a travel waiver allowing customers to change their flights

Violence erupted across Mexico, prompting the U.S. State Department to tell Americans in the states of Jalisco (including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala and Guadalajara) and Tamaulipas, as well as areas of the states of Michoacan, Guerrero, and Nuevo Leon to shelter in place until further notice.

Drew Hueler of Wayzata had flown, somewhat reluctantly, to Puerto Vallarta on Friday to attend a friend’s wedding. He had planned to come home Sunday.

“I am hesitant to travel to places that could have issues,” he said Monday in a phone interview. After four invites, he accepted. Now he finds himself stuck thousands of miles from home with 80 other wedding guests at a hotel where staff is staying on-site because they can’t go home, either.

“Nobody is going home today,” Hueler said. “We have another day together and we’ll make the most of it. Minnesota is looking pretty good right now.”

Hueler said he did have coffee and a meal on Monday, but he wonders how long food at the hotel will last. Burning buses just 2 miles from his hotel on the city’s south side blocked roads, preventing deliveries from getting through.

Joe Lally of Minneapolis was staying in a rented condo near the epicenter of activity. On Sunday, he saw cars at a gas station across from the 15-story Soho Residences burn and dark pillars of smoke rising into the sky as buildings and vehicles were set ablaze elsewhere.

“I have not seen anything like that since the civil unrest in Minneapolis,” he said referring to the chaos that broke out after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police. “I am renting a beautiful condo with a rooftop pool and I’m stuck inside four walls. It’s an adventure.”

Lally said he has water, but not much food on hand. A couple from Canada made him a sandwich on Sunday to tide him over, he said.

Stack said there was only one convenience store open near his hotel, and the store was letting only one or two people in at time. He said there was a line of probably 100 deep waiting.

Stack said some people were freaking out. But for him, “I am less nervous than my wife,” he said, adding that he hopes to get on a plane Thursday. “We are safe and have the same view of the pool and partial view of the ocean we had before.”

“Please stay safe, follow local guidance and make sure you’re signed up for the STEP program,” Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar said.